This invention relates to a manual ultrasound defect detection scanner and more particularly to a mouse based X-Y hand scanner for ultrasonic sound wave defect detection systems for complex surfaces.
Ultrasonic sound wave defect detection has found widespread application for defect detection in composite materials such as ceramics and reinforced synthetic resin materials such as epoxy and carbon filament structures. Ultrasonic defect detection may utilize pulse echo or through transmission ultrasound. In either event a flaw within the material reflects all or part of the passing ultrasound wave. By electronic processing of these reflections, such flaws as cracks, inclusions and delaminations are detected and located. For effective penetration of an ultrasound wave into the material being tested and for optimum processing of reflections, the sound waves should enter the material perpendicularly to its surface. With respect to flat panels and other planar shapes, perpendicularity of the sound wave is readily achieved. With other surfaces of more complex configurations, perpendicularity may be limited by the scanning apparatus in which the transducer element is attached, particularly if attached in a manner which prohibits or prevents unrestricted directional travel. For example, some scanners involve a relatively inflexible frame or grid with a transducer mounted on an arm or leg of the grid. Such a grid is passed over a surface to be inspected so that the transducer may perform its function. However, the grid structure prevents the transducer from making close contact with some regions of complex surfaces as well as preventing or inhibiting the described perpendicularity of the sound beam entering the surface under inspection.